Only You Know

When you are ready, EO, for that next milestone.  Today was a big one. After three years of lessons (on/off), you finally took the plunge. In typical EO fashion, you took your first swim strokes free and clear of any supports when you were in the pool completely by yourself. You had just finished a 30 minute swim lesson with two other kids who are beginning to swim.  Throughout the lesson, you held tight to the instructor and would only jump in if she were holding your hand as she stood in the pool encouraging you to make the leap and use your big arms. But no go.  Then the class ended, And how you love to splash around on your own in the shallow end where you can now stand.  You looked at me with the "oh please mom, just five more minutes" and I signaled my okay as I took a seat in a chair alongside the shallow end.  And then it started. I could see your confidence building as you splashed about further away from the pool walls, now out of reach.  You began jumping with your legs off the pool floor. So, hands not touching, feet not touching. By George, that's called floating!  I was thrilled for you and leaped out of my chair to offer a couple coaching tips.  Not that you needed it, as you were doing quite well on your own! But I took the opportunity to support you--"just two more minutes, EO"--which, naturally, would lead you to want to stay in the pool longer. My ploy was working and you became very focused on this idea of 'floating' and it was all you wanted to do...lift your feet up again and again.  I then suggested you start using your big arms and given the options before you (big arms or out of the pool?  hmmmm....), so big arms it was and in no time, EO put together all the skills he had been learning since the classes he started around age one and was now ready to put it in motion, literally.  All on his own. At his pace, when he was ready.  I am so very proud of him, and best of all, I could see in his smile and deeply proud he felt today.